Chapter Thirty

I texted Brett using my new number—I mean, the number that Nick lent me.

Four PM tomorrow. Front gate, university.

Immediately, my phone rang.

“The fuck, dude! You have no idea what hell we’ve been through looking for you!” Brett’s voice was raised and agitated.

“What?”

“Your phone was off. I didn’t know where you were. I went to your house. Nobody wanted to let me in. They said that you ran away from home without telling anybody where you were off to. I had to force myself to speak to your father. He said he had no idea where you were and he didn’t care. In fact, he looked happy that you were gone! He gave me your wallet, told me that if I saw you, I should give it to you. What happened? Where were you?”

I took time to process what Brett was saying. The mention of my father suddenly made me cringe. I had to close my eyes for a moment to let the surge of panic and fear settle down.

I felt a warm hand caress my nape, providing me comfort and some proof that I was not alone. I leaned my